The Darcy and Jane friendship
by phezl
Summary: (Lizzie Bennet Diaries) Darcy wants the first Christmas present he gives Lizzie to be special, so he enlists Jane's help.


It's 9 PM on Thanksgiving, and William Darcy is sitting in bed with his laptop, but instead of furiously drafting up company memos, he is plotting, and poorly. He knows now is the best time to make his surreptitious trip, but he keeps glancing over at Lizzie, who has taken his command to make herself at home during her few day stay with him to heart. She has sprawled herself out on the other side of his bed, on her stomach with her legs pressed up against the headboard, completely immersed in the book held out in front of her. The tank top she is wearing must have risen up at some point, because he currently has a partial view of her smooth, pale back. Under normal circumstances, the easy domesticity she is displaying in his house would make him glow with satisfaction, but not today.

Today, when he glances over at her, it's out of anxiety rather than his usual fondness. A byproduct of loathing artifice is that he is rather terrible at it, and the white lie he needs to tell is hovering at the tip of his lips, but somehow he can't manage to get the words out. Somehow, she must notice his odd behavior, because she looks up from her book and turns to him, her eyebrows arched.

"What?"

Well, he thinks, it's now or never.

"Erm. I just have a call I need to make… for work. I don't want to disturb you, so I'll just, um, leave for a bit." He gets up and starts heading for the door, before pausing at the threshold to look back at her.

Her expression has turned from slightly exasperated to bemused.

"Oook. But it's late. Are all your co-workers such workaholics that they're willing to talk business at nine on _Thanksgiving_?"

Crap. Confident that at least his face is still stoic, he manages, "Well, actually, this particular individual lives…lives in London. So this is better for him. Because of the time difference."

He quickly ducks out of the room before he has to answer more questions, so he doesn't see Lizzie, who knows full well from her time shadowing an English company that it is currently _5 AM_ there, blink in confusion a few time before shaking her head. She returns to her book, deciding that she'll wait until he returns to discover what he is really doing.

What he is really doing, it turns out, is taking advantage of the Bing's emergency page from the hospital to speak with the person whose help he is relying on: Jane Bennet. When she finds him at the door, she smiles warmly, although she is clearly surprised.

"Hello Will. If you came here to check in on me, everything is absolutely lovely. You must be very proud to own his house."

"I'm glad. Er. I am. But, that's not why I'm here." He swallows down his nervousness, frustrated that he can't act naturally around someone whom he met over a year ago and for whom, not simply because of her ties to his best friend and his girlfriend, he has come to care about. He lets out a breath and smiles.

"I was hoping you could help me decide what to get Lizzie for Christmas."

Once he has said the words, Will realizes that, to an outsider, his preparation in pursuit of a simple gift would appear overblown. However, Will Darcy, who finds no fault with pride when pride is warranted, considers himself an excellent gift-giver. While on principle, along with some stubbornness, he abhors expressing emotion simply because society tells him he should—for this reason he finds writing cards to people for happy occasions, when there exists a blurry line between genuine and inappropriately affectionate, between succinct and callous, to be excruciating—he undoubtedly has a talent for giving people gifts they will enjoy. He has a set list of people whose gifts he begins planning on Thanksgiving day, and as this is the first time that the list includes Lizzie, he thinks some input from her sister is necessary to ensure that his gift will properly impress her.

Jane beams. "Of course I can help! Why don't we go to the kitchen and you can tell me what you've thought of so far?"

Before waiting for his response, Jane exists the room purposefully, forcing him to follow. Will smiles, amused. While they all have different passions, one thing every Bennet sister has is determination. When they get to the kitchen, Jane decides to make cocoa, somehow knowing, after only one day in his house, where everything is located. Will takes a seat in one of the barstools at the kitchen counter and waits for her to join him. After a few minutes, she sits beside him and places down two warm mugs with a whipped cream flower floating on each one's surface.

Even Jane's hot chocolate is stylish.

"Did you have a job as a barista at one point and just never told anyone?"

"Oh no, I just—" she catches on—"I mean. Yes. It's actually my alter ego. At night I sneak out of the house and reform villains by giving them the mug of cocoa they always secretly wanted." Her delivery has none of Lizzie's snark, and it's the thought that most people would listen to her sweet, light remark and think her serious that makes Will grin widely.

"So, what are your gift ideas right now?"

"Well, we were at this art exhibit recently and some of the paintings Lizzie really

enjoyed were up for auction by the museum—"

"Oh Will, Lizzie will freak out if you spend too much money on her."

He holds his hand up, indicating that she should let him finish.

"She told me as much. That is what gave me the idea to contact a nearby painter to make a copy of one of her favorite paintings instead. I was thinking the French painting of Liberty that reminds her of Les Mis. This way she gets something she likes, I can ensure that the quality is up to par, I am helping a local artist, and it proves that I listened to her by not insisting on an original work."

Jane reaches out and places her hand on his. "That's a wonderful idea, Will. I'm sure Lizzie will love it."

"I was also hoping to give her something more…personal. Something she can use or have with her. But I am at a loss."

Jane purses her lip in thought before her eyes light up. "Try and find a piece of jewelry that isn't expensive. Something that looks nice but that she can wear regularly. If you get her a necklace or a bracelet like that, she'll end up wearing it all the time."

Will is sure that he could find something fitting that profile. Maybe he can recruit Gigi to help him. "Hmm, I will look into that. Thank you, Jane." He glances at his watch, only to realize that it's been half-an-hour. "

Lizzie will be wondering where I went off to, and I don't want to spoil the surprise. I should get back."

"No problem, Will. Have a good night." Jane pushes in her stool and moves to return to her room.

"Hey, Jane?"

She stops walking and turns back to face him.

"Yes?"

"If you ever need help finding something for Bing, let me know. I know all of his weaknesses. Even the ones he's ashamed of." Will smirks.

Jane quirks an eyebrow. "I may have to take you up on that."

Will begins walking back to his room, but calls behind him while she's still within earshot, "Let's just say if he claims he was "forced" to watch _The Notebook_, he's lying."

When Will returns to his room, he finds Lizzie has crawled under the covers and is watching something on the television. He gets in beside her and she slides over so that she is leaning on his chest.

"So," she says, without looking up at him, "What were you really doing? Cooking meth? Thwarting terrorists?"

He runs a hand through her hair while replying as deadpan as he can manage, "Gossiping about you with your sister."

She uses her hands, which have been sitting on his chest, to push herself up to meet him at eyelevel.

"You and my sister are conspiring together? _You_? And the innocent _Jane Bennet_?" She scrutinizes him intensely before sighing and resuming her previous position wrapped around him. "Just so long as my mother isn't involved."

"Who says she isn't?"

He has a hand ready to push her down when she tries to jolt upward.

"Kidding."

"First you're scheming and now you're making jokes. What, did you get a software upgrade recently?" She mutters all of this into his shirt.

"Maybe these features were there the whole time, you just never noticed."

She gently elbows him in the ribs, before deciding to let it go.

Lizzie isn't a fan of surprises, but if two people she loves have been working together and getting closer because of one, she supposes she can make an exception.


End file.
